Which Socialism? Whose Detente?

"This study analyzes the impact of the Czechoslovak crisis of 1968 - the Prague Spring the Soviet led invasion of the country in August of that year and the subsequent process of re-alignment and "normalization"--The two most influential communist parties of Western Europe - the Italian PCI and the French PCF." "It links these events to the broader issues that these parties were facing: the question of revolution or reform, the legacy of Stalinism, and the contradictions of Soviet-aligned "internationalism." These key problems were situated in different contexts: the rise of East-West detente, crisis and division in the Soviet-aligned communist world, and the rapid modernization of West European societies and economies." "This work sheds new light on a crucial phase in the history of the West European Left, and particularly on the complex ways in which Cold War developments impacted on it. The research is based on the study of large archive collections, particularly the internal records of various European communist parties."--Jacket.